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HorseClan
This is the Clan that I made up. I actually want people to write stories about them, using only the allegiances as a clue of what to do. Just a little thing to get your imagination running. Anyone can write a story about what they think HorseClan's history is. Creativity is needed!--Shaf Girl 15:56, 18 October 2008 (UTC) Update: Okay, I will write the first paragraph, and you guys have to add a paragraph each. Lovelyheart's Lover "Mustangstar?" Lovelyheart whispered to herself. "Come back." She had been waiting for him and the other cats to return from the Gathering. Stonestream said that it was true that Lovelyheart was going to have her first litter, and she wanted to tell her mate, the Clan leader, as soon as possible. Lovelyheart was still. Thoughts were running through her head of why Mustangstar had not yet returned from the gathering. Things were running through her head. She tried to think of more positive than negitive, but they slipped in anyway. She could feel her kits coming, and she tried to calm herself down. Stonestream was waiting only a few foxlengths away, in the medicine cat den, for Paintcoat to alert her when the time came. All Lovelyheart wanted was her mate. The moon was nearly through the sky, when suddenly, all went black. A single howl split the freezing night air, and Lovelyheart froze. She would recognise that voice anywhere. "Mustangstar!" she yowled, and Paintcoat pricked her ears at once. "No!, not Mustangstar!" she yowled again as a ripple of pain shot through her body. The kits were coming. "Get... Stonestream...." she managed to gasp between laboured breaths. Paintcoat rushed out of the den, and the two she-cat's fear scent filled the enclosed space. The birth was a terrible one, made only worse by the pain writhling inside her chest. The clan had still not yet returned from the gathering, and she knew something had gone terribly wrong. Eventually, two little kits were suckling off of her, and she lay exausted. She had not wanted to name them until her mate got back, and so she idn't but she just waited, and waited. Eventually, the dawn came. A patrol was sent to Fourtrees by the clan deputy, and they came back quickly with the most startling of results. But Lovelyheart had known all along. Every cat who attending the gathering the night before, was dead. But one. But it wasn't Mustangstar. Everyone she was close to was gone. Her lover, her best friend, even her remaining litter mate. They were all gone. The thing that pierced her heart the most was her loss of her beloved. A Dark Future Twelve moons earlier, cats had gathered at a large stretch of flat land that was used by Twolegs for their herds of animals to graze on. The newcomers all had come from different places and had different lives. There were some from the northlands while others had come from the south. Some had been kittypets while others had lived as loners and rogues for their whole lives. But they all had one thing in common: they were descendents of the four ancient Clans of long ago, ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan. The new cats had had dreams of their ancestors, with stars shining in their pelts, telling them that they must form together with others like them. StarClan had led the cats to this Twoleg farm, where they were to make their home. The travelers met at a grove just outside the farm, with four massive oaks growing in it and a large rock in the center, in the light of the full moon. Four of the cats--Horse, Cow, Sheep, and Pig--climbed on the rock and were told by StarClan that this grove was similar to a place called Fourtrees in the old forest, where the cats of the four Clans would meet every full moon and have a temporary truce. Then StarClan told all the cats of how the ancient Clans came to be and the rules they followed, called the warrior code. Horse, Cow, Sheep, and Pig then trekked up a rocky hill overlooking the farm. There they received their nine lives and leader names. They then went to the the other cats and chose the ones with the hunting styles most like theirs to be in their Clans. HorseClan cats were generally small and swift, able to squeeze through holes in the ground to hunt their main prey, the gopher, and fast enough to dodge the sharp hooves of the horses that lived near the Clan. The cats of CowClan were muscular and reckless, not afraid to jump on a bull's back to catch the birds that often perched there to peck the bugs off of the cattle's fur. Cats with dull-colored coats that could blend into their surroundings were chosen for SheepClan, for they not only had to sneak up on dim-witted sheep to hunt them by ripping their bellies; they also had to be wary of the fierce dogs that guarded the herd. And the slyest cats joined PigClan, having to sneak past massive swine to find the rats and mice that often hid in their pens. Moons past for the Clans. The original leaders had now joined the ancestors, and unlike StarClan had planned, the Clans were still small and vunerable. Few new cats appeared on the farm, and when they did, they usually were chased off by the aggressive warriors. And now there were hunters in the area, intent on killing the SheepClan cats that were diminishing the herds. But alas, Twolegs have difficulty telling cats apart, and they were ready to shoot any cat, even the warriors of PigClan that were ridding the barns of rodents far better than any dog to do. And it was because of the dogs of the hunters that so many cats died that night at the Gathering. Only a few were left in each Clan, and it would take a miracle from StarClan to save them. Smallstep's Promise Allegiances HorseClan CowClan SheepClan PigClan Story Hoofstar leapt up the fence at the edge of the HorseClan camp. "May all cats old enough to catch their prey join together beneath the Highfence for a Clan meeting!" Smallstep looked up from the scrawny gopher she was eating. Taking one last bite, she trotted over to her leader. Other HorseClan cats were coming out, too. The camp was next to the horse field, seperated from it only by the Highfence, dotted with abandoned gopher holes that the Clan used for dens. One tom came out of the burrows with so much dirt on him that Smallstep at first couldn't tell who he was. Then he shook his fur, and she saw it was Toughjaw, an old warrior who had come out of the elders' den after the massive killing at the Gathering that diminished the Clans to only a few warriors each. But the other three Clans hadn't been nearly as desperate as HorseClan; they hadn't had to make their kits into apprentices and apprentices into warriors early, or make their heavily pregnant or nursing queens and weary elders into warriors again just so that they could defend their camp from other Clans attacking. Smallstep had vowed that she would get revenge on the other Clans one day; if they had instead shared their prey with HorseClan instead of invading them, they wouldn't be in such a mess. When all the cats had crowded around the Highfence, Hoofstar meowed, "Last night I had a dream from StarClan. I just asked Stonestream what it means, and she said that StarClan wants the Clans to meet at Fourtrees once more. Most likely StarClan has sent the same sign to the three other leaders." There were growls and hisses of disapproval from the cats. Smallstep glanced at Stonestream, who was nervously hanging her head low. Glares of hatred were shot her way. Hoofstar noticed this, too. "Do not blame Stonestream," he yowled over the noise. "She was only doing what a medicine cat is supposed to do: interpret signs from StarClan." After a moment, most of the cats murmured apologies, though Smallstep saw Lovelyheart shake her head. The leader sighed, flicked his tail that had had the tip bitten off by dogs. "I have bad memories from there, too. Sometimes I wish that I wasn't the one to survive. Mustangstar was a much better leader." Smallstep felt a wave of sympathy towards Hoofstar. It was true that Mustangstar was a better leader; after only a short time as deputy, it had come as a great shock to Hoofstar when his kithood friend and many more Clan cats died on that night in Fourtrees. It seemed that even after six moons, the gruesome memory still lingered in Hoofstar's mind, and it would linger forever in the scars on his body. It was no wonder that he often stumbled to remember which apprentice had which mentor, who was leading the patrols, and other important things to remember as Clan leader. Hoofstar lifted his head up, courage burning in his eyes. When he spoke, it was as if the cats of StarClan themselves were speaking through him. "We must face our fears if we are ever to be a strong Clan again. We will surprise the other Clans at the Gathering, as the Clan that they thought would die, but instead will join them in peace, even after all they have done to us. That, my Clanmates, is bravery." For a moment, Smallstep felt like she, Hoofstar, and everyone in this Clan were one, that they could do anything. Then Hoofstar jumped down from Highfence, and the spell was broken. Every cat went back to eating at the fresh-kill pile or sharing tongues down in the burrows. The leader made his way to the leader's burrow, when Smallstep suddenly had the urge to congradulate him. Trotting up to him, she mewed, "That was a great thing you said, Hoofstar." Hoofstar stopped and purred in amusement. "Well, well, what happened to shy Smallstep?" The young warrior purred back. Her father had died in battle when she was just a kit, but Hoofstar had always been more of a father to her family than anything. Paintcoat, Smallstep's mother, had even fallen in love with him and become his mate, though they hadn't had kits yet. Hoofstar sighed. "I don't know what's going to happen at the Gathering. But all I know is that we're going, and the fate of the Clans will change." The Return Take a deep breath, Hoofstar said to himself. We're almost to Fourtrees. He looked back at his Clan, the fear written all over their faces. To his shock, he found himself wondering if he was leading them to their deaths. Only Toughjaw and Smallstep were left back at camp. Hoofstar knew that, though they too were afraid, they were the only two cats besides himself they truly knew the meaning of going to this Gathering, and it had killed him to leave them behind. But he couldn't show warriors that were supposed to be apprentices and elders to the other Clans. He wondered if they would be the only survivors of HorseClan after tonight. A mixture of relief and terror filled the cats as they heard the meows of the other Clans coming from the hollow. Bristling, Hoofstar turned to his warriors. "We're charging down there," he ordered in a whisper. "Make them feel like they're being ambushed. Let out war cries, even. We'll see how they feel being attacked." For most of the cats, the fear slowly melted off their faces, and eager mews of agreement filled the air. But Lovelyheart stepped forward, looking more terrified and pathetic than ever. "But Hoofstar, tonight is the truce. StarClan would disapprove of us attacking the other Clans. Besides, we're terribly outnumbered." Hoofstar narrowed his eyes. What she said was true, but couldn't she see the brilliance of this plan? "What would you know, you scared little mouse?" he hissed loud enough for the whole Clan to hear. "We're not going to attack them. We are simply putting fear into their hearts, like they did to us. Now, charge!" Hoofstar's yowls were echoed by the rest of his Clan, and they rushed down the hollow, into the midst of their enemies. Shrieks and yowls of suprise came from the other three clans, making Hooftstar's own fur stand on end. He pelted up to Ratstar, the horrid cat whose claws his leader had died at. He slashed out one paw, over the brown cats head. Hoofstar allowed his claws to nick the tip of Ratstar's ear before running up the leaders stone. He froze as he saw Paintcoat attacking three warriors of the other clans. Lovelyheart pulled him back and hissed something to him. "What is the meaning of this?" Hoofstar whipped his head up to see Patchstar and Ratstar. Burning hatred came from Ratstar's blood red eyes. "Paintcoat, back away!" Hoofstar yowled. "We are a true Clan now, and we shall treat the other Clans that way as well, even though they attacked us mercilessly." Paintcoat only snarled, and slashed mercilessly at a small apprentice, who was trying to escape. In one quick, almost invisible motion, Lovelyheart flipped him over, and clawed at his face until his growls subsidded. Ratstar sneered at Hoofstar. "Cant you control your warriors, or do you need queens to help you?" Some of the croud of gathered cats snickered below. "At least my cats are honorable." Hoofstar hissed back. Ratstar raised his hackles, and shifted into a hunters crouch. "Enough!" Patchstar hissed, pulling up between the two quarreling leaders. Hoofstar turned to face the clans, who were now watching the fence intently, some frightened, and some yearning for a fight. "My clan has been destroyed by your clans... We will not tolerate it anymore! We will gather more cats from twolegplace, and show you how it feels!" He growled. Patchstar only stared, bewildered by Hoofstars sudden hostility. Ratstar bared his fangs. "Not if we destroy you first!" Hoofstar only sniffed, and leapt down muttering, "we shall see..." Horseclan gathered around their leader, and departed from the clearing, leaving the confused cats behind... The Suspect "Why did you want to see me, Hoofstar?" asked Smallstep, crawling into the leader's burrow. "Smallstep, you have been a very loyal warrior to me," meowed Hoofstar. "You may not be the strongest warrior physically, but you are the strongest in spirit. And I've been wanting to tell some cat about this. Understand that I can't tell Galloprun or Stonestream; though I would trust them both with my life, they might...question me if I reveal to them what StarClan has revealed to me." The young warrior's eyes widened, but she said nothing and nodded for her leader to go on. Hoofstar sighed. "You have heard the story of that fateful Gathering six moons ago, when you were still an apprentice?" Smallstep nodded. "I was the only one from our Clan who went to that Gathering and survived. I saw horrible things that those dogs did to HorseClan, to all the Clans, things that I can't even talk about. But I must confess one thing." "What's that, Hoofstar?" "The cats that died at that Gathering were all killed by dogs, except for one. Mustangstar was killed by Ratstar." Smallstep gasped. "But...why? All the Clans were in danger, they had to fight against the dogs together. Why did Ratstar attack Mustangstar?" Hoofstar shook his head. "I don't know. All I know is that Ratstar is a danger to all the Clans." "Is...is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about, Hoofstar?" asked Smallstep. "A few more things," mewed Hoofstar. "I want you to watch over your mother and Lovelyheart. You saw what happened last night; when I announced that we would be pretending to ambush, they seemed so hesitant, and yet those attacked the other cats mercilessly. I know it's not like Paintcoat or Lovelyheart to do that. Ratstar was furious, and Patchstar and Ewestar looked more surprised than I've ever seen them." "I'll look after them, Hoofstar," promised Smallstep. "And one more thing," added the leader. "I'm organizing a few cats to travel with me to the Twolegplace over the mountains, where we can find new cats to recruit. Galloprun has already volunteered, being deputy, and Fillypaw has learned enough that Stonestream said she could act as a medicine cat for us. We were thinking of bringing one other warrior, and I was thinking that warrior could be you." Smallstep stood proudly. "I would be honored to travel with you, Hoofstar." More Coming Soon